


Just Tell Me Who You Love

by Hope_Floats_With_a_Floatie



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Aromantic Momota Kaito, BECAUSE IT'S MY FIC AND I'M A WEEB, Bisexual Iruma Miu, Bisexual Saihara Shuichi, Bisexual Shirogane Tsumugi, Bisexual Yumeno Himiko, Coming Out, Gay Ouma Kokichi, Hanahaki Disease, I'm sorry I have a straight in here, Investigations, K1-B0 instead of Keebo, Love Confessions, Love Hotels, M/M, Mastermind Revealed, Mystery, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Oblivious Saihara Shuichi, Ouma used instead of Oma, Pan K1-B0, Post Chapter Three, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Straight Gokuhara Gonta, class trial, unbetad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-06-30 11:51:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15751119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hope_Floats_With_a_Floatie/pseuds/Hope_Floats_With_a_Floatie
Summary: “You see, I realized when I was sleeping in my lovely little cave last night that external motives were getting dull. Killing over keeping a secret, seeing your loved ones, that sweet cash money: we’ve all seen that shit before.” The bear gave a carefree wave of his paw. “Now it’s time to shake up the status quo! An internal motivation!” He cackled before interrupting himself. “Well, we did do that once before, but this time it’s better! More angsty or whatever the fuck the fans want.”The nine survivors of the Killing Game are surprised when Monokuma abruptly changes the motivation from discovering the secret of what the key given to them unlocks to a mysterious disease. Saihara Shuichi finds himself in the position of matchmaker if he wants all of his friends to survive. New rules, new discoveries, and new complications unfold as he attempts to keep his friends from dying over a crush.





	1. Rude Awakening

_Ding dong Bing bong_

 

_“Rise and shine, ursine!”_

 

_“Will all the students of the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles please come to the gymnasium as quickly as possible. We have a special surprise for you!”_

 

_“If you guys don’t hurry up, we’ll come to your room and beat the stuffing out of you!”_

 

_“Monotaro, we’re not allowed to punish students! That’s daddy’s job…”_

_“So then why did he have us run around to everyone’s rooms last night?”_

_“Monotaro!”_

_“What!”_

                                                       

Shuichi Saihara groaned, rolling over in bed. It was rare for him to feel this terrible waking up. Still, he figured it was because of the trauma of the last trial; it had been difficult getting sleep while Korekiyo Shinguji’s screams echoed in his mind. It was even worse last night, when his screams were part of a cacophony of the sounds of Kirumi Tojo’s heels clacking down the hall as well as the music played by Kaede Akamatsu’s hanging body. He had hoped- and almost believed- that Akamatsu’s trial would be the last and the horror that was her trial would never happen again. He knew cynicism was not the answer, but it was hard not to at least feel depressed that he lost more other classmates. He figured Momota would punch him again if he voiced these concerns, but it still… lingered.

 

Saihara yawned, pulling himself out of bed and looking for fresh clothes. He figured he would forgo a shower until later, not really in the mood to have one of the Monokubs banging at his bathroom door. He liked to take his time with cleaning himself and he was already on the edge of running late. He dressed himself mindlessly, almost walking out of his room with his shirt unbuttoned as well as backwards somehow. He fixed the clothing mishaps before exiting his room, closing the door behind him as he entered the unfortunately familiar hallway.

 

“Good morning, my dearest Saihara!” A mirthful voice trilled from down the hall. The young detective turned to face Kokichi Ouma, resisting a groan. Ouma stopped as soon as Saihara faced him fully around a foot away from him, a few expressions flitting across his face before it settled on his usual gleeful yet morbid curiosity. “Man, you look like shit. Something keep you up all night? Or maybe, someone?” He purred, tapping his lip before bursting into laughter. “Nee-hee-hee, like anyone would fuck this virgin!” He teased, eyes glinting with mockery.

 

Saihara was not in the mood this morning for playing along with Ouma’s games. Typically, he would try to be polite and play along to an extent, but today was different. It was bad enough still having a headache from the nightmares and knowing that he had failed to fulfill Akamatsu’s wish again; but also having to deal with Ouma making fun of his lack of sexual experience? It was almost a worse level of hell. He gave Ouma a withering look, straightening the cuffs of his shirt deftly.

 

“Fuck off.” He stated bluntly, turning on his heel and continuing his path to the gym.

 

“H- hey! Wait up!” Ouma ran after him, his sneakers slapping against the stone floor. Saihara ignored him, walking down the stairs two at a time. “Saihara, don’t be lame! I was just making fun of your sex life!” Ouma insisted, trotting down the stairs as quickly as he could. Saihara walked faster, pulling the door open and continuing his quick pace to the gym.

 

He knew that Ouma was not directly involved in the death of yet another of their friends; Yet during the trial, it was apparent that he already knew who the culprit throughout the trial. The Supreme Leader saw this terrible situation they were in as an amusing game to play, which was more than insulting to everyone who died. The least he could do to punish him now was to refuse to give Ouma the attention that he so obviously craved. There were other people Ouma could bother, but he also had a hunch that his relationship with Ouma was quite different. Icing him out would- hopefully- make him act somewhat more civil for a while.

 

“Saihara!” Kaito Momota jogged to meet him, matching his pace once he was alongside him. “You’re getting a jog pretty early in the morning, bro.” He noted, glancing down at Saihara’s feet. Saihara blinked in surprise, deliberately slowing down. He laughed nervously, looking up at his new friend.

 

“Sorry, I was trying to get away from Ouma.” Saihara explained, keeping his voice quiet enough so that only Momota could hear. The amateur astronaut shook his head, a small smile on his face. “I don’t want to be rude to anyone, but-” Saihara began to clarify before Momota’s chuckle signaled him to stop.

 

“Nah, dude. No need to apologize.” Momota gave him a thumb’s up, his smile turning into a full grin. “That little shithead deserves whatever you dish him.” He declared confidently, pushing the door to the gym open for them.

 

“I can hear you, pedo goatee!” Ouma yelled mockingly. Saihara watched out of the corner of his eye as Momota turned around, flipping Ouma two birds. He stifled a laugh, shaking his head as he continued to approach the stage.

 

All the surviving Monokubs were on the stage, chattering amongst each other. Tsumugi Shirogane was already in the gym and was looking more apprehensive than usual. Gonta Gokuhara and Himiko Yumeno seemed to be trying to distract her; Yumeno with various magic tricks and Gokuhara by praising all the tricks. Miu Iruma and K1-B0 appeared to be engaged in a rather one-sided conversation: Irumi explaining something in extensive detail while K1-B0 simply nodded. Things almost seemed… normal.

 

“They’re getting good at faking it.” Saihara jumped, turning around to see Maki Harukawa standing to the left of him. She was twirling the hair from her ponytail between her fingers absently, clearly disengaged. “If they don’t want to constantly cry, they might as well act as though things are normal.” She sighed, meeting his eyes. He nodded, smiling sheepishly.

 

“I- I got that much, Harukawa.” He assured, sweeping his side bang away from his eye. “I am a detective…” he trailed off, looking at his friends. He knew that if Angie was here, she would be trying to lift Shirogane’s spirits by doing some sort of ritual with Atua. Tenko Chabashira would probably be arguing with K1-B0 and Iruma. Tojo-

 

“Hey, partner?” Saihara flinched at the sudden hand on his shoulder. He looked up at the source, seeing Momota’s concerned face. “Are you feeling alright?” Momota asked, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. Saihara looked back at the small crowd that was left, his mind no longer filling in the gaps of where his friends should be. Empty spaces dominated the gymnasium.

 

“Yeah.” Saihara nodded, taking a calming breath. “I’m fine.” He lied easily, still feeling a twinge of guilt once it exited his mouth. At a trial, at least lying was imperative. Amongst friends, lying was only a necessity to avoid more difficult conversations. Harukawa narrowed her eyes briefly, clearly seeing through the weak lie.

 

“Did you even shower this morning?” She asked wryly. Saihara felt sweat begin to bead at his hairline. “God damn, you are a fucking me-” she started before her voice was drowned out by wholly unpleasant noise.

 

Monokuma’s signature laugh echoed around the room. All the students reluctantly turned their attention to the stage, seeing that he had taken his place between his daughter and son. Saihara knew his mind must be playing tricks on him since it seemed like the bear was smiling wider than usual; it was impossible since it was a stuffed bear, but something about Monokuma’s demeanor was setting the hair on the back of his neck on edge.

 

“Upupupupu! Do I have your attention now?” The monochrome bear’s voice was heightened with sadistic glee that matched his smile. “Anyhow, you’re probably wondering why I gathered everyone here today. I mean, seeing as I already gave you a goddamn motive, why the hell would I gather you shit for brain students back together?” The bear was close to snarling, his claws in his paws unsheathing from their plush exterior.

 

The students looked at each other warily. Saihara was a little put off by the sheer amount of unsubtle passive aggressiveness the bear was voicing. While there had been times where the bear was pissed off, it had never to this level. He knew it had to do with Ouma stealing the motive Monokuma had given them and hiding it away, but what was Monokuma’s plan? Retaliation against a student who was playing the game- technically- correctly?

 

“Daddy, why are you so angry?” Monophanie quivered, her paws covering her mouth. She was probably put off by her father’s almost gratuitous vulgarity. Monokuma laughed again, shaking his head as his claws retracted. Saihara let out a brief sigh of relief.

 

“Oh, I’m not angry! Quite the opposite, my little flower child.” He patted the top of her stuffed head, looking around the room. “You see, I realized when I was sleeping in my lovely little cave last night that external motives were getting dull. Killing over keeping a secret, seeing your loved ones, that sweet cash money: we’ve all seen that shit before.” The bear gave a carefree wave of his paw. “Now it’s time to shake up the status quo! An internal motivation!” He cackled before interrupting himself. “Well, we did do that once before, but this time it’s better! More angsty or whatever the fuck the fans want.” He said the last part mostly under his breath, Saihara himself barely catching the words.

 

“Internal motivation?” Momota yelled, clearly trying to sound outraged; yet the quavering in his voice certainly did not escape Saihara’s notice. “The hell’s that supposed to mean?” He took a step closer to the stage.

 

“Yeah, what does that mean?” Shirogane demanded, her voice already shaking. Monokuma simply began cackling, hugging his plush stomach. Shirogane took a few steps closer to the stage, glaring up at Monokuma. “What’s going o-” she started coughing hard, doubling over. Gokuhara and Yumeno jumped away from her in shock, clearly frightened by the sudden turn of events.

 

“Uh-oh! Looks like the first one’s already down!” The bear crowed happily. “I think I’ll leave the mysteries for the detective to solve. If you can’t figure it out soon, you’ll end up with a result that poor Kayayde Akamatsu-san would have hated.” The bear jeered before promptly jumping down into a trap door on the stage. The Monokubs saluted to them before jumping after him.

 

Saihara ran over to Shirogane, hearing the footsteps of Harukawa behind him. K1-B0 and Momota were not far behind, their pace growing more hurried as Shirogane’s state seemed to worsen. Shirogane was still bent over, no longer coughing but still covering her mouth with her hands. Gokuhara and Yumeno were clearly afraid and unsure of what to do, frantically fluttering around her. Harukawa helped Shirogane sit down in a position that would be more comfortable for her. Saihara got a glimpse of the inside of her hands, seeing startling red blood on the palms of her hands.

 

“Shirogane, your hands…” Saihara managed, his stomach beginning to churn. She yelped, covering her mouth again. “Have you coughed up blood?” He inquired, trying to look her in the eyes. Her eyes were focused down at her knees as her cheeks glowed a rosy red. Saihara frowned when he felt someone push him aside. He looked in shock at the starch white jacket that had shoved between him and Harukawa.

 

“Come on, Shirogane,” Ouma cooed, pulling Shirogane’s hands away from her face. “Let’s see that plain ol’ face.” He held onto her wrists, struggling with her to keep her from covering her mouth again. Saihara’s eyes widened when he saw her face. Blood splattered her chin and was still dribbling from the corners of her mouth. However, it was not the blood that shocked him as much as the bright periwinkle petal that was hanging off her bottom lip. Harukawa reached forward, plucking it off her lip. Shirogane’s eyes widened behind her glasses, focusing on the unassuming petal in terror.

 

“What- what’s going on?” She stammered, looking around frantically at her fellow classmates. “What’s happening to me?” Her voice squeaked out through her closing throat. Her eyes were already starting to well with tears. Saihara looked at the bloody petal in Harukawa’s hand, pursing his lips. He had never seen something like this before- nor had he ever anticipated seeing anything like this in any situation. Still, if he was going to keep his promise to Akamatsu, he would have to solve this mystery as fast as possible.

 

“I don’t know yet,” Saihara turned his attention back to his bleeding friend. “But I promise you we’re going to find out.” 


	2. Research

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saihara investigates the current mystery, yet only seems to uncover more.

“Saihara! It’s past lunchtime. You should’ve shown up, since you’re such an ugly twig.” Ouma stood in the middle of the doorway to the research lab belonging to the Super High School Level Detective, examining his nail beds with casual indifference. “Then again, if you want to lose weight, who am I to stop you?” He chirped, looking over at the apprentice detective. Saihara rolled his eyes, ignoring the possible criminal in the doorway. He waited for Ouma to whine and walk away, but all that Ouma did was tap a beat onto the door frame. Saihara’s concentration steadily waned, his eye twitching in irritation. After what felt like an eternity, Saihara surrendered to Ouma’s will.

 

“I’m trying to figure out what’s wrong with Shirogane,” Saihara breathed, sitting back in his chair. His eyes fell on the grey patterned wallpaper, internally relieved to be looking at an aesthetically pleasing pattern as opposed to the blocks of text he had been examining for hours. “I don’t really have time for jokes about how you feel about me right now.” He turned back to his book, starting back at the top of the paragraph. He heard Ouma huff loudly, clearly not pleased with his answer. However, yet again, the mischievous student did not walk away.

 

“Where’s Momota? I thought he’d at least try to be useful this time around.” Ouma took a step into the room, looking around as if to check that the astronaut was hiding from his view. “Or murder girl even.” He grimaced, exaggeratedly squinting at the shadows.

 

“Harukawa said she was going to analyze the flower Shirogane coughed up.” Saihara shrugged, turning the page. “Momota… stopped by earlier. I think.” He smoothed the page down squinting at the small text. “He’s probably looking for ways to keep Shirogane safe.” He mumbled, his shoulders slumping in disappointment. None of the texts that had been provided to him in his research lab had been helpful in any way. He loved his friends, but he wished one of them could have been focused on some sort of medical field.

 

“So,” Saihara looked up, seeing Ouma was now sitting on his desk. He must have made his way over while Saihara was talking. “They left you all alone? That’s so well advised, since nothing bad has ever happened to anyone in their research lab alone.” Ouma voice was a borderline purr, sending chills up Saihara’s spine. His pointer finger tapped his bottom lip rhythmically. Saihara met his eyes, the faintest bit of amusement warming his chest: it was as close to a true statement as he could wrangle from Ouma.

 

“Yonga was only killed when she exited her lab,” he pointed out factually. Ouma opened his mouth to retort, a grin spreading across his face. “But, yes, Hoshi was killed in his own lab by someone he trusted.” Saihara interrupted, looking back to his book. He flipped back to the table of contents, looking for anything having to do with flowers. He could almost hear Ouma’s pout. He continued to ignore him, hoping this could be the what finally pushed Ouma away.

 

“My sweet, dear, beautiful Saihara,” Ouma put his hand over the graphics on the page. Saihara returned his attention to Ouma, his eye twitching slightly. “If you don’t pay attention to me, I will totally cut a bitch.” Ouma cooed, leaning closer to Saihara. The detective closed his eyes, sighing heavily.

 

“We both know that’s a lie, Ouma.” Saihara pinched the bridge of his nose, his brows bunched together. “Even if it wasn’t, I need time alone to find out what Shirogane has been infected with.” He explained, pushing Ouma’s hand out of the way. He flipped to a chapter on ‘magical’ murders, wondering if this could be some sort of apparition trick. He heard Ouma huff, walking away from him. His shoulders sagged in relief: glad to finally reclaim his alone time. He continued reading, humming occasionally to himself.

 

Saihara looked up after finishing the fifty-page chapter, rubbing his eyes. He closed the book, moving to set it on the table but stopping in midair. There was a plate of misshapen rice balls with a side of sliced apples and oranges. He set the book down beside the plate, looking it over curiously. His stomach growled loudly, making him grimace in pain. He looked one of the rice balls over, smelling it briefly before popping it into his mouth. A moan vibrated through his throat as the taste of rice combined with some sort of mustard plant filled his senses. He chewed it eagerly before swallowing it down. He ate the rest of the meal set out in front of him, trying his best to pace himself so his stomach would not reject the much-needed nutrition. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve, smiling in delight. This was a nice, peaceful moment that was so rare to find within the school.

 

“Dammit!” Saihara jumped when he heard someone shout behind him. He whipped around, seeing Ouma sitting on the floor of the lab. He had multiple books laying around him, one sitting open on his lap. “I was going to eat that! But you just had to look up, didn’t you?” He pouted, folding his arms over his chest. Saihara scratched the back of his neck, smiling a little.

 

“Did you see who brought it in?” Saihara asked, leaning forward in his seat. “I want to thank them.” Ouma smacked his lips, leaning back against the bookshelf.

 

“Uh-huh. It was Kee-boy,” Ouma grinned. “Said something about ‘beep-boop, I care so much about Saihara because I’m a gay bot’.” He imitated in monotone, barely able to keep a laugh out of his voice. Saihara rolled his eyes, moving to turn around. “Okay! Okay, that was a lie.” Ouma held his hands up in surrender. “It was Yumeno. I mean, come on: who else would do such a sloppy job on making rice balls?” He snorted, shaking his head. “Come on, mister detective.” Saihara nodded slowly: he still had a feeling that Ouma was lying, but he knew that pressing him on a lie like this would be fruitless. Besides, it did sound like something Yumeno would do. He had a feeling that he would have to remember the fact someone got him lunch later.

 

“I’ll be sure to thank her later.” Saihara stood up, cracking his neck. “What are you still doing here, Ouma?” He inquired, going through a few more minimal stretches. Ouma shrugged, adjusting his checkered scarf.

 

“I was really hoping someone would come in to kill you.” He stated in a matter of fact tone, a small smile twitching at the edge of his lips. “I’d get to help them hide the body and everything! But apparently we’re ‘all friends now’ so ‘no one wants to kill you’.” He exaggeratedly made quote marks with his fingers, rolling his eyes. Saihara felt a laugh escape his mouth, much to their mutual surprise. The detective allowed himself a smile, standing up.

 

“Thanks for keeping me safe,” Saihara crossed the room, kneeling beside him. “What are you reading?” He asked, looking down at the books. Ouma had finally reeled in his surprise, his face returning to its usual casual indifference.

 

“It’s boring sitting around and waiting for Irumi or Harukawa to come in here and choke you out, so I picked up a few books.” Ouma replied, lifting the open book higher, making it more visible to Saihara. An illustration of a bright blue flower coming out of a person’s mouth was across the text on the page. Saihara sat down, looking at the illustration with wide eyes.

 

“May I?” He reached for the book, peeking over the pages to look at Ouma. Ouma nodded, handing it over. Saihara read over the page, biting his lip as he read the page over.

 

 _Hanahaki is a rare, biogenically engineered disease. The name came from a combination of the Japanese words for flower (Hana/_ _花_ _) and regurgitation (Hakimatsu/(_ _吐きます_ _). The disease is not contagious: the only documented cases having been found in people who were purposefully injected with it. Those affected by the disease report coughing or vomiting flowers which resemble the Eurasian Bellflower. Often, such regurgitation occurs after the inflicted person denies their condition or states something disparaging about another person._

_The survival rate of those inflicted is incredibly low. All survivors were given some sort of warning about either the disease they had or the supposed cure. Survivors claim two different cures: surgery or confessing mutual attraction to another person. The surgery involves removal of part of the patient’s amygdala as well as an esophagus transplant. Survivors who confessed their romantic attraction claimed that the disease progressed faster when they attempted to repress or deny their feelings for the person they cared for. Study is continuing to be done on this rare disease, but it is incredibly fatal._

“Hanahaki…” Saihara sat back on his heels, putting a hand on his forehead. He squeezed his temples a few times, trying to process the information. He knew the information was important and he would remember it later, but the fact that a disease like this was real was still mindboggling. “This is-?” he shook his head, looking back at Ouma.

 

“Total BS,” Ouma tutted, shaking his head. “No way I can believe something this stupid could ever be real!” There was a pause, Saihara scrutinizing him. “That’s a lie,” the liar relented with a sigh. “If Monokuma has the balls to say he can resurrect people, maybe he gave everyone some stupid lovesick disease.” Ouma rolled his eyes before closing them. “This is a pretty shitty motive, if you ask me.” He grumbled, rubbing his eyelids with his knuckles. Saihara fiddled with his bangs, considering his hypothesis.

 

“Do you think the mastermind is taking… vengeance on you for not using the motive?” Saihara asked quietly, sitting down. Ouma smiled tightly, crossing his arms behind his head; while the position was meant to broadcast his usual aloof nature, Saihara could tell he was tense. “Monokuma did sound rather… frustrated with you earlier.” He prodded, tilting his head. Ouma’s eyes swept the room, lingering at the door.

 

“You’re not too bad a detective, Saihara.” Ouma returned his focus to the boy in front of him, his face serious. “I always respected law enforcement. It’s hard to break the rules without any to begin with.” He explained lightly. “But when rules are broken by the rule makers,” he sighed heavily, gesturing to his checkered scarf. Saihara frowned momentarily before realizing he was referring to the monochrome bear. “Well, that’s just unfair.” He huffed, closing his eyes again. Saihara could not help the smile that touched his lips. Ouma still had his carefree demeanor, but it reminded him more of somebody else’s style.

 

“You sound like Amami right now, you know,” Saihara noted, leaning back on his haunches. “But you didn’t answer my question.” He clarified, examining the supposed criminal leader in front of him. Ouma sighed, dropping his hands to his sides to help push himself up to a standing position.

 

“It doesn’t matter, really.” Ouma smiled broadly. “Even if whoever behind all this is mad at me, they know motives like this won’t hurt me.” His face darkened, his smile turning much more sinister. “Supreme Leaders don’t fall in love: especially not Kokichi Ouma.” He declared, looking down at Saihara. He promptly whirled on his heel, walking out of the research lab. Saihara watched him, realizing that he was smiling still after Ouma left.

 

Ouma was incredibly frustrating to deal with. His constant stream of lies and half-truths seemed to be utilized solely to push away anyone who wished to become close to him. Yet Saihara knew that no lie could be fabricated from nothing: the lies he had to use in trials were always based on the evidence he had with him. Ouma could lie all he wanted and attempt to be enigmatic- and it was true part of him would always be a mystery to Saihara- but his lies would only serve to help Saihara find out more about him.

 

“Saihara? Are you in here?” Momota took a step into the room, looking around. He had a juice box and a sandwich in his hands. Saihara stood up, holding the book open to the page on Hanahaki. Momota’s face lit up. “Sweet! I figured you were hungry, so…” he offered him the food. Saihara took them, smiling faintly.

 

“Thank you, but I already had lunch.” Saihara politely declined. Momota looked at him skeptically as though he was searching for signs of hunger. Saihara laughed nervously, brushing his bangs away from his eyes. “Apparently, Yumeno made me rice balls. It was nice.” He smiled shyly as he looked away. Momota furrowed his brows, scrunching his face up.

 

“Dude, Yumeno was with me and Shirogane for the past three hours.” Momota informed, sweeping his fingers through his updo. Saihara looked up at him in surprise. “She was trying different magic rituals to heal her: didn’t leave for lunch or nothing.” Momota continued to scrutinize Saihara’s expression. “How’d you figure it was her?” Saihara felt heat rush to his cheeks: he had been thoroughly duped by a professional liar.

 

“Ouma told me.” The detective sighed, looking down at his shoes. “He also said K1-B0 brought it, but I didn’t believe that…” Momota pursed his lips, crossing his arms over his chest. “I just don’t know who else would have done this.” Saihara covered his mouth, considering the turn of events.

 

“Huh.” Momota scratched the back of his neck. “You don’t feel sick or anything, do you?” He glanced him over again. Saihara shook his head, meeting Momota’s eyes. “I mean, because if Ouma made it, I think you would.” Momota smiled grimly. Saihara shrugged, smiling faintly.

 

“It’s weird. He actually helped me out a bit.” He showed Momota the open page. Momota scanned it over, scrunching his face. “He found the book that describes the condition Shirogane is suffering from.” He explained, watching Momota’s expression. Momota’s face broadcasted his fear and disturbance the further he read the text.

 

“Damn,” he looked back up at Saihara. “So that’s what Shirogane got?” He hissed through his teeth, looking down at the illustration. “All she has to do is tell her crush how she’s feeling?” He raised an eyebrow.

 

“And not have them reject her,” Saihara added with a wince, closing the book. “Or else she’ll die from suffocation.” He mumbled, feeling the weight of the situation sink in his chest. “Besides, she’s probably not the only one affected by the disease. Monokuma said that the ‘first one’s already down’ when Shirogane started coughing,” he tucked the book under his arm, glancing at Momota. “So at least half of us should have gotten the disease.”

 

“Shit…” Momota whistled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Got any clues on who likes who?” He asked, a little smile making his way onto his lips. “Think anyone has a crush on me? Because, uh, I hope not.” Momota quickly added, his face flushing.

 

Saihara was reminded of Harukawa’s increasing fondness towards the charismatic astronaut in question. He sincerely hoped she did not since Momota seemed to have disinterest towards romance in general. There was a brief period of time- namely, the aftermath of Akamatsu’s trial- where he did attempt to see if Momota shared his budding romantic feelings but quickly found himself at a dead end. Momota’s ambitions kept him from ever seriously considering a romantic relationship; his obliviousness also kept him from being able to notice whenever anyone had any feelings towards him.

 

“I think you’re in the clear, Momota.” Saihara promised. “But, ah, please don’t lie to me if you actually get sick.” He touched his shoulder, giving him as close to a reassuring smile as he could manage. Momota beamed back at him, clapping him on the shoulder.

 

“My sidekick shouldn’t have to worry about me,” Momota grinned, squeezing his shoulder. “But you better promise me the same.” He ordered in a gentle tone. Saihara nodded, smiling sadly.

 

“Ah, I don’t think I’ll get sick,” he tapped his lip with his knuckle. “Unless you can get… sick over past…” he trailed off, feeling his shoulders slump as Akamatsu’s smile flashed into his mind. Momota gave him a sad smile, pulling him into a brief yet tight hug. Saihara blinked in surprise: Momota was a kind person, but he had not expected that much- or any- affection from him.

 

“I’m here for you, dude.” Momota promised, patting his shoulder as he pulled away. Saihara looked away, his face burning. “No matter what, okay?” Momota added, leaning to the side so he could make eye contact with Saihara. Saihara rubbed the back of his neck, reluctantly looking back. He opened his mouth to reply.

 

“Momota, Saihara.” Harukawa called, making the two boys jump. “Iruma threw up a whole bouquet. Do you have a solution yet?” Saihara could tell she was irritated since he could hear the heels of her shoes clacking against the floor. He took a breath, giving Momota a reassuring smile before stepping out of his lab to meet her. All in all, it would not be too difficult to explain conceptually: he just hoped she was not already one of the victims.

* * *

 

“Hanahaki disease…?” Shirogane pushed herself up in the makeshift hospital bed. They had set up a makeshift medical clinic in Iruma’s research lab. The rest of the students had gathered in the room, keeping some distance from the two infected girls. K1-B0 had been attending to Iruma, however he was clearly distracted by searching for the disease on his database.

 

“It’s not a widespread disease,” Saihara clarified. “From what I’ve read, it’s basically a biological weapon. I don’t think it’s naturally infectious either, so whoever has it was probably injected with it by Monokuma.” He handed Shirogane the book, opening it to the page describing the disease. Iruma pushed herself up from the couch, walking over to Shirogane to read about the disease as well.

 

“Monokuma infected students directly?” Harukawa frowned, turning to Saihara. “Shouldn’t something like that be against the rules?” She asked, her hands curling into fists. Saihara hummed, covering his mouth with his hand. It very well should be, but-

 

“Nope. Not against the rules.” Ouma chirped from the lab counter, swinging his legs. “The closest rule that could maybe apply would be ‘No student can take action against headmaster Monokuma’ but none of us have, so…” he shrugged, sliding off the counter and landing on the floor. Iruma looked up at the rest of the group, her hands on her hips.

 

“Hey,” Iruma looked around at the gathered group, her mouth set in a grimace. “How the fuck is this a motive?” The room stayed silent as the students looked at each other. Ouma started to laugh but ended up stopping himself. He sucked his teeth, frowning slightly.

 

“Huh. Irumi said something smart again,” Ouma hummed, leaning against the counter. “I guess Armageddon really did happen.” He grinned, folding his arms behind his head. Harukawa’s sigh was perhaps the loudest that Saihara had ever heard.

 

“You little shit!” Iruma snapped, setting her hands on her hips. “You know this golden brain has come up with plenty of good ideas.” She said proudly. “Made time sensitive cameras, drones, fixed up Kee-boy, and those ham-”

 

“Iruma right.” Gokuhara turned to Saihara, a hopeful smile on his face. “Maybe motive bad because no one will kill? Maybe no one will die!” His cheerfulness changed the atmosphere in the room, seemingly infecting most of his fellow students with hope.

 

“Nyeh, maybe…” Yumeno looked at Saihara, her eyes lighting up. Saihara chewed his lip, still considering the circumstances. This was, technically, a poor motive. There was no way to really utilize this to directly kill someone else. Unless…

 

“Upupupupu! I guess you babies need your hands held through everything, huh?” Monokuma hopped up in the middle of the group, seemingly appearing from nowhere. K1-B0 jumped in surprise, being the only member of the group who was not at all mentally present before the bear showed up. “Eh, this was inevitable. There is a way for you all to live through this, but I know one of you losers is going to end up dying anyway!”

 

“Even if one of us dies, it’ll be your fault!” Momota insisted, glaring at the robotic teddy bear. “You were the one who injected us with it, there can’t be a trial!” He asserted firmly, a victorious smile working its way onto his face. Monokuma shook his head, beginning to cackle again.

 

“Quit your cackling and answer the question, plushie!” Iruma commanded, pointing at Monokuma fiercely. Monokuma’s laugh reduced to an annoying giggle. He cleared his throat, regaining his composure.

 

“Yeah, so my motive this time was more paws on than usual,” Monokuma shrugged. “But what you guys do with it is your business. Since all of you should now know what this disease does, you all know how stupidly easy it is to not die from it!” Monokuma hopped up on the table beside Shirogane. She scooted away from him, pulling her knees up to her chest.

 

“If someone chooses not to confess their feelings and dies,” he explained in a similar sing-song voice as he explained the class trial, sitting on the open space on the bed. “Then their death will be considered a suicide. But if they confess their feelings to the person they’re in love with and are rejected,” his red eye shone brighter. “Then that’s a murder right there.” He wiggled with excitement, his eye shining with malevolence.

 

“And, as a reminder,” he held both his paws up. “Mercy kills still make you a murderer! So even if someone asks for death, killing them still will make you the blackened.” Monokuma rolled on his stomach, hopping back on the floor. The bear began to waddle away before the sound of the young detective’s throat clearing made him turn his head.

 

“Why did you change the motive?” Saihara asked, dropping his hand away from his mouth so he could be heard clearly. Monokuma tilted his head. “This seems to be a punishment for a student who hasn’t physically-”

 

“It isn’t a punishment for one student,” Monokuma interrupted, wagging his paw. “I wouldn’t act against just one student like that. That would be bear-y rude of me!” He laughed at his own pun for an uncomfortable amount of time, collecting himself once it was clear the joke had died. “It’s motivation for all of my lovely students at this academy! Now get busy loving or get busy dying!” The bear waved before running away. The students sat in silence for a moment. Saihara hummed, allowing the possible hint to sink in; perhaps Ouma was not the only student who had angered Monokuma. Still, that left the lingering question of who else could have possibly disobeyed the headmaster. Ouma took a breath, clearly ready to make a remark.

 

“God, this is such bullshit.” Shirogane snapped, hopping off the bed. “Fanfiction-ass horseshit, I hate my fucking life!” She continued to rant, storming out of the room. The rest of the students watched her walk away with shock: while they all know she could curse, they had never heard her swear with such ferocity.

 

“Man, good luck to whoever she’s in love with.” Ouma snickered maliciously, turning his gaze back to Iruma. He tapped his lip with his pointer finger, a sarcastic glint in his eyes. “I can’t possibly imagine anyone more vulgar that could be so hopelessly in love.” he drawled, his eyes briefly flickering to Saihara. The detective could not help but wonder if Ouma was hoping that Saihara was paying attention to him. “Could not even think of-”

 

“We get it.” Harukawa grumbled, turning on her heel and leaving the room with her middle finger pointed upwards. Ouma’s dramatic gasp was stifled by Saihara’s sudden giggle; the detective could not help but be tickled by someone getting the final word on the bratty ‘leader’. Momota started laughing as well, clearly delighted by Saihara’s joy. Soon the tension in the room broke, with almost everyone besides the offended Ouma and incredibly confused K1-B0.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEy eiGHT DAYS AFTERWARDS IS THE UPDATE!1!
> 
> I meant to put it up a week afterwards but again, college life. I am having fun with this fic and my schedule (so far) is pretty free so I'll should have another full update by next week. However, any questions you have you can put in the comments and I will probably answer within an hour. Don't worry about asking too many for fear of hindering the next update (maybe you don't, but that was always my worry so yeah). 
> 
> Anyways, have a lovely day/night/afternoon/twelve minutes before the eight thirty history class you signed up for,  
> Hope

**Author's Note:**

> First post to this fandom! I had this idea rattling around in my head for awhile, so I figured I should finally share it with the world. While this clearly departs from the original story, the mastermind and final twist is still the same. Also, update schedule is going to be HELLA UNCERTAIN for three reasons:
> 
> 1) I am going to start my first semester of college soon  
> 2) I have a little under than three chapters already written (but I do have the whole story already mapped out)  
> 3) I also have approximately three other projects I'm working on right now as well
> 
> Don't worry, I would never abandon my fics, but there will be noticeable gaps. Please leave kudos and don't be afraid to leave comments! Plot questions probably won't get answered, but if there is a burning question you need answered about the universe or characterization in the story I will answer to the best of my ability.
> 
> Anyways, have a lovely night/morning/early morning when you definitely should be asleep because your sleep schedule is already a wreck but you can't help yourself,  
> Hope


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